Manual call points are used to initiate an alarm signal, and operate by means of a simple button press or when the glass is broken revealing a button. They can form part of a manual alarm system or an automatic alarm system. These are installed at all final exits from a building and on escape routes as required.

The simplest form of detection, modern heat detectors are reliable and well-designed against false alarms. There are a few different types and configurations. Their limiting factor is speed: a fire can be well under way before it generates enough heat to trigger the nearest detector. Affordable and dependable, they suit certain applications well. Higher-spec pneumatic heat detection systems have specialised uses.

The two main types of smoke detector are photoelectric and ionisation, sometimes combined in a dual detector. They have the advantage of being quick to detect the presence of smoke and trigger an alarm, but are slightly more expensive than heat detectors. Like heat detectors, there are conventional switched systems and analogue addressable.

Combustion produces high levels of CO2 and this can be detected by sensors. The ones used in fire detection are much more sensitive than in ‘high CO2’ detectors for homes. They are mostly used in specialised applications.

A beam detector senses smoke by projecting a light beam from a transceiver unit across the protected area to a reflector that returns the light signal to the transceiver unit. Smoke entering the beam path will decrease the light signal causing an alarm. Typically, beam detectors would be installed in large open-area buildings such as warehouses, shopping malls and similar spaces.

A flame detector is a type of sensor that can detect and respond to a flame’s presence. They are capable of identifying smokeless liquid and smoke that can create an open fire, however mostly flame detectors are there to detect heat, smoke, and fire. This device also detects fires from the air temperature and air movement. Flame detectors are usually optical devices, able to respond to flame in less than a second. Response to the detection of a flame can be aligned through its installation and how the system is set up. Typically, flame detectors would be installed in boiler furnaces, industrial warehouses, chemical factories and warehouses, and other high-risk combustion sites.

An aspirating smoke detector (ASD) is a system used in active fire protection, consisting of a central detection unit which draws air through a network of pipes with strategically-placed sample holes. These pipes are connected to an Aspirating Fire and Smoke Detector which continuously samples the air pulled through the pipe system looking for very small smoke particles. The sensitivity can be adjusted depending on design. Typically, these systems are used in IT server rooms, high-level ceiling locations and in high fire-risk sites.

Alerting people to a fire is an essential part of assuring their safety. We offer everything needed as part of an integrated fire protection system, including a variety of audible and visible alarms suited to different working environments and staff needs. Integrated via the main control panel interface, these can be configured to operate independently depending on the location and scale of the fire.